Last week I had a chance to ride in a Ferrari 430. Man that was an experience! The acceleration (and the braking also) was very brutal and scary. I never felt that force which pulls your body into the seat.

I haven't driven or ride in a new M3 yet.

My question is, does the M3 give a similar sensation? The ferrari is 480hp, of course the M3 won't be as brutal as the Ferrari but I wonder if you can scare someone sitting next you with the acceleration of your M3.

Below 4000 rpm its tame because of the low torque, from there it builds very smoothly to a crescendo and from 6000 to 8000 it just hammers to the red line that you have to be careful not to hit the limiter in a 6mt. All in all its a relatively linear experience because the V8 builds steam so smoothly - until the last part of the rev range, the intake noise really addin to the sense of speed. The sunroof open really adds to the experience (oops - sorry to all you carbon roof fans )

to the drivers nowadays, I'm sure were used to the acceleration, but without a doubt you can scare someone in the passenger seat. First you have the noise of the engine that you hear and on top of that, you REALLLY are hauling ass..

The Ferrari will be faster because it weighs hundreds of pounds less, has more horsepower and torque, and it has less drivetrain loss because it's a shorter trip regarding distance and parts to get power from the engine down to the rear wheels. It will also make you feel like you are going faster because of the noise it generates compared to the M3, and the feeling it generates from the engine being behind you.

The M3 in comparison will feel fast, but it won't feel as fast as you are actually accelerating. I felt that my e46 M3 was faster in the drivers seat through the first few gears simply because it was a more raw experience. The e9X is a faster car but it doesn't feel that way unless you are focusing on the speedo.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say no. The F430 has a much more track focused agenda. The M3 is a much more balanced car, with a lot more street intention in its DNA. Its still a great sports car, but its heavier, softer, quieter, more comfortable, and less powerful. Due to its much lower price, a lot of the performance parts are going to be a bit cheaper. The M3 will give you a closer experience to it, than most other cars in the M's price range, but if you want the sensation of a Ferrari, you're gonna have to pony up. No pun intended.

i drove a porsche today!! i don't know what kinde of porsche!! it was a porsche 911 from 2000 with 285 hp i think, but it didn't feel so fast!! and it had a transmition that works on presure so i had to change very quickly from 1st to 2nd!! Very jerky and not very nice!!
ferarri f430 i think is somthing else!!

the acceleration is hardly brutal and in fact unimpressive under 4000 rpm. once it gets going, you feel it's fast. As others have said, the car delivers power in a very linear fashion and doesn't present the type of sudden change in acceleration that typically gives the impression of faster acceleration. So to answer your question, even not having driven the Ferrari, I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's nothing like the Ferrari.

The thing is I was planning to buy a X6 , that was my dream car. But yesterday I had the chance to drive one for the first time. It was a X6 35d . It was good. The handling was very impressive for a SUV. But it wasn't something similar to what I've imagined. I thought that driving a X5 is much more easier because of the shape of the car and visibility.

Anyway, after the X6 test-drive I thought "why not buy a M3 instead? It's almost the same money, and it will be much more fun and thrilling to drive".

Since none of the dealers had a test drive for the new M3, I had to ask you guys how it feels to drive one.

Personally I don't have any racing car experience. The fastest car I've driven was like 200hp so I don't know how it feels to drive a 420hp car.

However as you say that the m3 has a very linear delivery of power, perhaps a 335i will be more brutal in low revs and in city driving?

You must test drive an M3. 335 feels better in low end until you look at the speedos and compare - you dont realise it but you are moving at a much faster rate of speed in the M3.The noise, steering feel, shifter notchiness, and balance all add to make the M3 a car in another league!

My last car before the M3 was an '05 GTO (with the 400hp LS2 engine also producing 400lb-ft of torque, all at very low rpm in comparison). The GTO felt like it had a LOT more grunt when you hammered the gas pedal, but I also feel like the M3 is more than capable of holding its own once you let the revs climb.

You must test drive an M3. 335 feels better in low end until you look at the speedos and compare - you dont realise it but you are moving at a much faster rate of speed in the M3.The noise, steering feel, shifter notchiness, and balance all add to make the M3 a car in another league!

+1

I feel like letting loose on most streets will scare women and children.... Its a tougher car to drive hard, on the upper ends 5000+, the car can be awe inspiring.

I cannot compare it to a 430 but I can compare it to my twin turbo 350Z (700rwhp) and the M3 is a joke as far as power / torque is concern. I would compare it to you driving the M3 and jumping into a a mini cooper.... I drove the 6MT and love the car to the point of me ordering one. I just have a thing for cars that can rev high. IMO the power is very controlable and super easy to drive fast. I see where you going with this as far as comparing it to a 430 but there a lot to do with wieght gearing ect... The m3 has a measily 3xx ftlbs or tq compared to my 675lbs or trq, trust me when I say this car is easy to drive, I only wish I would have drove the DCT befroe I left overseas cuz I am going back and forth on that...I guess 6MT you cant go wrong and know what your getting ..